The white poppy movement, in the news, is “white poppies for a culture of peace: the White Poppy symbolises the belief that there are better ways to resolve conflicts than killing strangers.” Another source says “peace committee members say their white version stands for non-violent conflict resolution.” A writer in The Gateway, the Univ. of Alberta newspaper (Nov. 7, 2010), declares that White poppy honours dead without glamourizing war. “On the contrary, with these Remembrance Day distortions removed, war can be seen as it is: a horrifying mess of propaganda, deceit, and suffering. Millions of people never sacrificed their lives, but rather had their lives torn from them while they kicked and screamed in vain. The righteous sentiment of Remembrance Day doesn’t mix well with the realities of war.”Is there anyone other than Halliburton & co. who is in favour of war?! Yes, there are some wars that some countries have no right participating in, but the major wars have an aggressor and a defender. Invaders need to be stopped, people and lands must be defended. If you just raise the white flag and give up your country to the aggressor, and “give peace a chance,” you and your land are toast.The trouble is, in the aggressor countries, usually there is no way in hell a peace movement or any opposition at all would be permitted. In the past, the peace movement was funded by that paragon of virtue, the Soviet Union. Yeah, it sure were peaceful and non-aggressive. Those for true peace were naive in being caught up in this charade.Stopping an unjust war, if your country is the aggressor, can be successful, as the peace movement contributed to in the 1960/70s. But this is not equivalent to what our soldiers did in the two wars and subsequent wars of aggression. There was no chance for "non-violent conflict resolution." Chamberlain thought he had it, right? Then there was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, eh?To honour those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, we wear a red poppy. We remember them. They defended. They wanted peace. The other side was the one that did not. Lest we forget.

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ABOUT ME

I'm a writer, translator, and speaker, mostly on things Ukrainian. People often turn to me for information on Ukrainian traditions, costumes, culture, and all related "stuff." If I don't know, I try to find out. On this blog, will share links to my various articles on (hopefully) interesting topics.
I retired from the University of Manitoba Libraries in September 2010. Have been trying to catch up to myself every since (the story of my life)....

Prairie Fire -- "Echoes from Ukrainian Canada."Special issue on Ukrainian Canadian literature, October 1992. Co-initiator of issue and member of guest editorial board.One non-fiction work and one review.

Spirit of Ukraine:500 Years of Ukrainian Painting.Winnipeg:Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1991.Co-editor (one of four) and translator.

Carpathia Credit Union -- 50 Years of Service to the Community.Winnipeg:Carpathia Credit Union, 1990.Co-author with Dr. Halyna Muchin.

Writer of three anniversary brochures for the Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Winnipeg:1972, English text; 1979, Ukrainian text; 1982, Ukrainian and English text.

Over 400 published articles in numerous publications -- The Globe and Mail, Winnipeg Free Press, Prairie Fire, University of Manitoba Alumni Journal, Prairie Garden, Canadian [Antiques] Collector, Forum: a UkrainianReview, and -- columnist for The UkrainianWeekly (Parsippany, New Jersey).

SOME OF MY LECTURE SUBJECTS

Why We Do What We Do:Origins and Symbolism of Ukrainian Traditions

Baba Was Right All Along: Ukrainian Folk Medicine

Songs Your Mother Should Never Have Taught You?Erotic Symbolism in Ukrainian Folk Songs

Konopli - Hemp in Ukrainian Tradition and Life

Perogies on the Prairies: from Ukrainian Village to Mainstream Canada

Origins of Ukrainian Traditions

Ukrainian Wedding Traditions in Manitoba (and general)

Pysanky - Ukrainian Easter Eggs and What They Mean

Ukrainian Christmas

Symbolism in Ukrainian Songs and in Folk Art

Free-for-all re Things Ukrainian

My 15th Folk Art and Culture Tour of Ukraine in 2012

The dates for 2013 are Aug. 22-Sept. 8. Please book early.

Folks are asking about this tour -- word of mouth is good! But if you are interested, act quickly to be sure to go. You'll need to reserve with Martha Banias at The Great Canadian Travel Company, and also be sure that your passport is not within 6 months of expiring at the time of the trip!